Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole is an irresistible cheesy easy breakfast casserole perfect for any meal! Packed with mouthwatering ingredients bringing flavors of the Southwest to the breakfast table.
This is that one recipe you’ll never get enough of. Friends and family will beg you to make it.
It’s a perfect easy way to feed a crowd.
It will become a Christmas morning tradition and something you’ll want for every meal of the day.
Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole is full of everything you love about breakfast and Mexican food.
All rolled into an easy breakfast casserole recipe!
Loved this reader comment: “It was a big hit on Christmas morning. Everyone from 8-80 loved it.“
If you love enchiladas this breakfast recipe is for you!
Jump to:
- An Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Easy Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
- Make It Gluten-Free
- Christmas Breakfast Casserole Preparation SHORT CUTS!
- How to Make Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole – Step by Step:
- Make Ahead Instructions
- REHEATING THE COOKED CASSEROLE
- The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook Review
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- Recipe
This Christmas Breakfast casserole is perfect for the holiday morning.
Especially with tips on how to make it ahead of time!
But the true meaning of ‘Christmas’ in the name is a reference to a style of serving chile in New Mexico.
If you ever eat in Santa Fe restaurants, you’ll love having this insider tip!
An Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Ordering chile, green or red chile, in New Mexico is serious business.
If you are local you most likely will order ‘Christmas-style’. This means you want both red AND green chile (it’s totally the way to go).
This Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole is the best of southwestern flavors delivered in a piping hot easy breakfast casserole recipe. It’s perfect for ANY day of the year.
It’s not just for breakfast either, friends. My family enjoys it for every meal of the day whenever I make it!
This easy breakfast casserole would be perfect for Christmas morning or any other holiday for that matter.
Easy Breakfast Casserole Ingredients
- Bulk (loose) Breakfast Sausage
- Onion
- Red or Green Bell Pepper
- canned Green Chilies
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder
- Red or Green Enchilada Sauce (or some of each for Christmas-style)
- Flour or Corn tortillas
- Shredded Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
Make It Gluten-Free
To make this breakfast enchiladas casserole recipe:
Use corn tortillas. Verify they are gluten-free! Gluten-free flour tortillas also can be used.
Use gluten-free enchilada sauce. Not all enchilada sauce is gluten-free so always read the ingredients on the container.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole Preparation SHORT CUTS!
- Use a mini chopper for the onion and bell pepper.
- Shred cheese with a food processor using the grating disk OR even faster, purchase pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend!
How to Make it ‘Christmas-Style’
Make this easy breakfast casserole ‘Christmas-style’! Make half the pan with red sauce and the other half with green sauce.
The recipe calls for a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
A second layer of sauce is added on top of the layered casserole.
Make one layer red enchilada sauce and the other green enchilada sauce. Then every portion will be Christmas-style!
How to Make Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole – Step by Step:
Don’t let the length of the recipe scare you.
It’s a very easy breakfast casserole with basically four steps:
- cooking the breakfast sausage mixture
- cooking the eggs
- layering the casserole
- baking it!
Because this is a deconstructed enchilada there is no fussing with the seam side!
For a detailed printable recipe refer to the recipe card at the end of the blog post.
STEP 1. Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
STEP 2. Make the sausage ingredients
In a large skillet brown the sausage. Add the onions and peppers. Cook until soft (5 minutes). Add the green chilies and stir (photo 1). Remove the mixture from the skillet and set aside.
STEP 3. Scramble the eggs
Lightly beat the eggs (photo 2). Cook the eggs in the skillet until soft curds have formed (photo 3).
STEP 5: Add the sausage mixture into the skillet with the scrambled eggs. Mix together.
STEP 4. Assemble the casserole
Pour 1/2 cup of red OR green enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
Or stripe it as I did in the photo 4.
Arrange 1/3 of the quartered tortillas on top of the sauce (photo 5). Top with 1/2 the sausage-egg mixture and 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese.
Repeat Step 7. Layer the remaining 1/3 of the quartered tortillas on the top of the casserole. Top with the remaining red OR green enchilada sauce (photo 6).
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese (photo 7).
STEP 5. Bake
Bake for 20-22 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.
Serve some hash browns on the side!
Make Ahead Instructions
MAKING AHEAD WITHOUT COOKING
The casserole can be prepared the night before without baking and then popped in the oven in the morning.
When baking cold from the refrigerator, plan an additional 10 to 15 minutes cooking time.
REHEATING THE COOKED CASSEROLE
Prepare and cook the casserole.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave or covered in the oven.
This casserole can be stored in one large container or portioned into individual servings for storage and reheating.
The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook Review
The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook by Mary Younkin will spark your meals.
With mouthwatering recipes to get you out of any lapse of creative meal inspiration.
All the recipes in the cookbook have something in common; they are approachable, flavor-packed and easy to make.
Regardless of where your tastes lie, I’m sure you will find some new favorites.
Another theme running through the recipes for lunch and breakfast are the flavors of the Southwes. This, a nod to Mary’s New Mexican background.
“This cookbook is filled with recipes that can be made in very little time. Or ahead of time for quick meals whenever you need them.” – Mary Younkin
The cookbook has everything from Nacho Taco Salad to Green Chile Pork Street Tacos. And the delicious recipe I’m sharing today: Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole.
After one bite of this Christmas Breakfast Casserole you’ll want to make the rest of the recipes in this cookbook!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Wassail: a Classic Holiday Drink
- Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Challah French Toast
- Banana Coffee Cake recipe: Easy for Breakfast & Holidays
- Chicken Enchilada recipe
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- How to Make Pickled Jalapenos
Recipe
Christmas Breakfast Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Breakfast Sausage (loose) regular or spicy
- 1/2 small Onion diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup yield)
- 1 small Red or Green Bell Pepper diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup yield)
- 1 4-ounce can Diced Green Chilies mild or hot
- 10 Eggs
- 1 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Granulated Garlic OR Garlic Powder
- 1 1/2 cups Green or Red Chile Enchilada Sauce* OR 3/4 cup of EACH for Christmas-style
- 12 Corn Tortillas OR 5 Flour Tortillas quartered for corn tortillas, cut into pie-shaped wedges for flour tortillas
- 5 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese (or a combination)
Optional Toppings:
- Fresh torn Cilantro leaves
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce or Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Crumble the sausage into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat. As the sausage begins to brown, add the onion and the peppers. Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender and the meat is fully cooked (about 5 minutes). Add the green chile and stir to combine.
- Transfer the meat and vegetables to a plate.
- While the sausage mixture cooks, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly, just to combine them. Transfer the meat and vegetables to a plate and add the butter to the skillet over medium-high heat.
- Pour the eggs into the hot skillet. Season the eggs with the salt, pepper and garlic. As the eggs begin to set, gently pull them across the skillet with a spatula, forming large, soft curds. The eggs are done when they look just a little bit runny. The eggs will continue to cook some when removed from the heat.
- Add the sausage mixture back to the skillet with the eggs. Stir to combine.
- Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce (red or green; OR 1/4 cup of each) into the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of tortilla wedges (1/3 of the total tortilla wedges) over the sauce. NOTE: use 16 corn tortilla quarters per layer.
- Distribute half the eggs misture over the layer of tortillas. Sprinkle generously with 1 1/2 cup of the cheese.
- Add another layer of tortilla wedges (another 1/3 of the total), the remaining egg mixture, 1 1/2 cups cheese. Finish with the remaining tortilla wedges.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top layer of tortillas. Sprinkle generously with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cheese has fully melted and is lightly browned. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.
MAKE-AHEAD DIRECTIONS:
- MAKING AHEAD WITHOUT COOKING: The casserole can be prepared the night before without baking and then popped in the oven in the morning. When baking cold from the refrigerator, plan an additional 10 to 15 minutes cooking time.
- PRE-BAKING & REHEATING THE COOKED CASSEROLE: Prepare and cook the casserole. Store in an airtight contatiner in the refridgerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered in the oven. This casserole can be stored in one large container or portioned into individual servings for storage and reheating.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published: April 8, 2018
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.
Whether for Christmas Breakfast or a special breakfast enchiladas, this breakfast casserole is always a family favorite!
Wendi says
I’m wanting to make this for a potluck breakfast. Will it work in a crockpot?
Toni Dash says
Hi Wendi. A slow cooker is a completely different way to cook so you would not be able to translate this recipe to using it without testing first. Could you make the recipe as written and maybe keep it warm with a warming plate or insulator cover on your pan instead? If you want a breakfast pot luck idea we would suggest this recipe: https://boulderlocavore.com/spicy-shredded-pork-breakfast-tostadas/. You could have the makings of the tostadas set out with the slow cooker ingredients so people could build their own breakfast tostada.
Fi says
Yum! Made ahead, baked for dinner. I was looking for an eggy corn tortilla dish, and this was perfect. Subbed a can of baked beans for the sausage, and green and red salsas for the enchilada sauce (that’s what I had in the pantry). I thought the egg layers were a little thin, so I did add 4 more eggs. Next time will just use a smaller dish (although we did love the leftovers 😁). Great vehicle for leftover veg, too.
Toni Dash says
Yay! Sounds delicious and thank you for sharing how you changed it up! I think it’s always helpful for others to see!
Missie Roeseler says
I made this for my grands when they stayed with us for four days last week. I had an entire menu planned out for every day – you know, gotta make every day special. They loved this so much that they requested to have the leftovers for lunch and their final breakfast. So easy and my 11 year old grandson helped which made it all the more special. This one is a keeper!
Toni Dash says
I’m so glad you all loved it Missie! When I make it we eat it all day long too!
Jess says
Made this on Christmas morning for breakfast and the whole family loved it!
The only changes I made: I added taco seasoning to the ground meat, and used 1 lb of meat instead of 0.5. Clearly, we love our meat and spices lol.
Overall, fantastic recipe. We enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you!
Special thanks for putting in pictures of how you layered the tortillas. It was helpful!
Sarah says
I’m not much of a breakfast person, but this would be great for any meal. Looks easy to make and I’m sure is loaded with flavor. Will have to give this a try.
Katie says
Made this for the family and it was an absolute hit!